no sooner do we indulge in the quasi-regular, neodemocratic, metaphysical debate on barista competitions (what is the philosophical significance of three beverage rounds? will a home junkie ever compete respectably? what IS cigaragay‘s next signature potion? jus de slaughterhouse lambshank el puente?) than someone far outside the usual echo chambers will startlingly declare what all this competitive drama could mean — with the proper leverage.

there was the elusive “michael m” during last year’s operatic discussion, poignantly illustrating the sort of humble ardor outward-minded competitions could tap … but representing, instead, the kind of natural-born evangelist tragically left outside the club. now there’s commenter “true,“ a newcomer who appears to be charging toward the day when his floridian establishment will begin to open eyes — with the excitement-generating help, he hopes, of barista competitions:

“As I see it, there are two ways to go about promoting something like the SERBC: you either have a set group of people who are going to attend no matter where it is, so the location doesn’t really matter (my Bahamas analogy) or else you work your ass off to bring people through the door who wouldn’t attend otherwise.”

unless this blog has missed the grassroots marketing blitz, the SERBC appears to be taking the former route. it’s for people in the club … which, you know, is a pretty good show for a screeching fanboy like this blog. just not anything in which more chemically balanced people might take an interest. like, say, a food network audience.

then again, they’re doing softball this year. evening softball. on a minor-league field.

Since my nom de guerre is on the line here, I’ll temper my stance by saying that I’m pleased to see the SERBC in Florida. Really, anything that might help promote specialty coffee here is needed very badly. And Terry is the guy to do it here. I’ll be there to volunteer for anything that needs to be done, from start to finish.

In my (non-coffee) life, I spend a lot of time working with small business owners on marketing issues. Most are so in the weeds that they don’t see the value of “big picture” organizations like the SCAA. Competitions like the RBCs are symptomatic of the sort of things that drive small business owners crazy– when paying yourself comes down to (often literally) shaving nickels and dimes off of cost of goods, (they ask themselves) who in their right mind pays hundreds or thousands of dollars money that could go to tangible marketing/purchasing/salary? As they see it, what are the benefits? I’d imagine most would say that for the cost outlay they receive little in return: perhaps exposure among a small subset of their competitors, and the perception that they are sending their best skilled hourly workers to a subsidized job fair.

I’m sure its not secret to anyone in the organization, but that’s the mindset that the SCAA has to overcome. And should overcome. To me, it’s shortsighted to ignore the power of both collective action in the national level (an org like SCAA) and on the local (competitions that reward dedication to one’s craft; the energy of gathering with one’s peers). Looking at last year’s thread, I have to ask whether companies like Intelligentsia and Zoka (or whoever else has been successful recently) have been able to “stack” the competition because they have the funds to train competitors in the way that the small guy can’t, or whether they have reached that point where they themselves are no longer the “small guys” because they have business models that recognize the value of events like the RBCs for developing quality service and outstanding products. To me, it looks like their investments over the years have paid off, and it’s a roadmap for what I should be doing myself.

As someone who is an outsider to the industry at the moment, let me ask this series of historical questions: of the shops that have been active in the RBC events over the last 5-7 years (win, loose, or draw), how many are still viable businesses? Looking at past results, it seems to me that most are still going strong… Over the same period of time, what percentage of shops joined the SCAA (but never participated in the RBCs) and are still open? What percentage of non-franchised indie shops that couldn’t be bothered with the SCAA (let alone RBCs) have opened and closed in the same period? If those stats could be assembled, I’d wager that they would be compelling enough to drive interest in the SCAA and the RBCs.

i wonder, though, if they’ll really tell you anything. i suspect a very high percentage of competition participants stay in business. likewise, we know that many, many cafes open and shut because they were founded on a whim or dream of someone who has no clue on any number of levels.

but is it competitions and scaa membership that saves the good guys? or is competition participation merely an incidental indicator of what kind of shop one is operating to begin with? probably the latter.

there are a good number of epochal places who don’t participate in competitions — because they don’t have time, or prefer to focus on direct experiences with consumers, etc. and they thrive (vivace in seattle, muddy waters in charleston, s.c., to name a few disparate examples). it has more to do with understanding coffee and customers than, say tapping into the community of the scaa.

No, you are absolutely right– and that is pretty much what I was trying to say. I’d doubt that there’s any direct, quantifiable value in joining the scaa or participating in competition, but the shops that stay committed to a collective organization and do use the competitions to increase skills and quality… those are the shops that tend to have the bigger picture in mind. And that helps. plus, a shop with as much focus as vivace is going to thrive independently. But I’d wager that’s the exception.

Will a home junkie ever compete respectably? I humbly guide you to Federico Cabrera, the 2007 Argentinian Barista Champion who is not a working professional barista, but rather a home espresso enthusiast.

As for my next signature drink? Well, I’ve got some ideas and if I continue to follow along this path, I should be pretty close to finishing the drink. But really, who knows where the next few months will take me? So far, 2007 has been a great year of discovery and development. So many things have changed in my perpeption and knowledge of coffee and cuisine. It’s beyond anything I had imagined. Plus getting the smackdown at the USBC was incredibly refreshing and invigorating.

I’ve been around the SCAA and competitions since September 2003. My company has spent thousands in support of travel and expenses to SCAA events and the barista competitions around the country and around the world. I’m tempted to say that NONE of it goes to benefit the company on a marketing level, but now I’m not so sure.

Everyone claims to be “the best” or “on the cutting edge” but it’s terribly difficult for the customer to discern if this is just marketing bravado or perhaps reality when all we’re doing to pumping black liquid into a paper cup a la Starbucks (and worse).

When we were negotiating our current project 18 months ago, I put together a packet of the various clippings and announcements in the industry media about our participation in these events. Much later, the people involved with the selection process told me that this was a major part of the reason they went with us.

Nowadays, as we spend our time travelling to various competitions, our customers know that we’re involved. While we may not win, I think our pursuit of “excellence” in a recognized realm plays well with our customers. Especially since we not only compete but judge and do support work at the International level.

Meanwhile, the actualy pursuit of the competition title slowly loses its’ luster. The more I’ve explored our craft and cuisine, the more I see the need to focus on the homefront as I see within the chef ranks that competition doesn’t determine “the best” but rather, the everday pursuit of excellence a la chefs such as Keller, Achatz, Trotter, Blumenthal and Adria et al.

I really appreciate Jay’s answer here. As someone who didn’t even know that the SCAA/RBCs existed nine months ago, I’m tempted to say that you play the hand you’re dealt. Competition among chefs is different– to a certain degree, a michelin star is not that different than a regional championship, with three stars = a world championship. Keller certainly plays that game. I wonder if it would be a benefit if the SCAA created something similar to the star rating for shops that place in the top three/five/ten/whatever of RBCs… Press releases, guides, space on the website that recognize the excellence of the competitors as some sort of index of the care and quality that a shop gives to its craft. A michelin star is no guarantee of a good meal, but it is a pretty decent indication of the level of service you’ll receive.

anyone up for a round-table at Bern’s (or SideBern’s, which I think is actually better) during the SERBC? (Bern’s was Savior’s top 3 pick for best steakhouse in the US.)

First of all, regarding Szobody’s lamentations about the location of the SERBC: I understand where you’re generally coming from, but as you can imagine, there are many ways that one might determine the venue for an event like this.

2007-2008 brings a new methodology in this respect, with potential host companies submitting proposals to the SCAA’s USBC Committee, “pleading their case” if you will. The committee makes their decision based on those proposals. If you look at the list of RBC hosts for this competition year, you’ll note that to date, other than the North East, EVERY company listed is a first-time host: Cuvee, Kaldis, Allegro, Alterra, Zoka, and the South East triumvirate of Monin, Astoria, and Ambex. I’m not on the USBC Committee so this is mere conjecture, but one might see some effort to “keep things fresh.” Perhaps geography takes a back-seat to diversity?

As far as the R.O.I. on competition participation, I can only speak for myself and my company. Fundamentally, competitions are an inspiration opportunity that I provide for my staff. Each and every barista we’ve sent to a competition is appreciably changed. I try to instill a healthy dose of inspiration day-to-day, but you can never have too much.

My first competition experience was the 2004 USBC in Atlanta. I came back transformed. Since then, seven of my baristas have competed. Three first-time murky competitors will be in Clearwater in October.

I don’t have the answers to the “historical questions” that “true” asks.

We put the trophies up on the counter, and people look and comment and ask questions and such. We’ve used the competition technical ideals as training standards. There are benefits to our involvement in competition.

But I still maintain that the main benefit is inspiration. You can never have too much.

Nick, you’ve pretty much confirmed how I feel about the potential for an event like the RBC to help on the shop level. And I’m very pleased for the event to be held in Florida (although Clearwater _is_ a cultural/coffee wasteland and the event is across the street from the Scientologist’s Sea Org “secret police” building– just wait until you see all of the people walking around in quasi-paramilitary navy uniforms… Someone needs to figure out how to incorporate an e-meter into their sig routine). Most of all, I’m glad to have made it to the point of being “true” instead of just plain old true. The post-structuralist in me is thrilled.

Jeanette Chan, 2004 CNBC, with 14 competitors. Pure amateur, barely drank espresso, finished 7th, and a dispute over time, if we had filed a protest, probably would have put her in the finals, competing against the likes of Sammy Piccolo, and against a better slate of judges (one judge knocked her down heavily on her espresso, because, while she described it correctly (heavy molasses / chocolate body, low acidity) he wrote on her form “just like you described, but I expect acidity in my espresso”).

I’m sure there’s other examples around the world of “home baristas” competing. I may be the first non- (traditional) professional to judge (woo hoo, “celeb judge” way back in 2001), but I remember reading even back then about amateurs (not even in the coffee industry) competing in some parts of the world.

so we have two. nice. now we need someone to turn heads — in the ‘modern era,’ in the u.s., with an eye-opening routine.

nick: i overlooked your inquiry. sorry. not kitchen counter smackdowns, but … something less corporate. in fact, i’ve just decided that the effort shouldn’t be confined to private convos, but blogged instead.

We just got a full page from Pittsburgh magazine crediting our staff as being the “Best Baristas” in Pittsburgh. It’s doubtful Pittsburgh magazine really knows what a barista does, especially since they didn’t mention any specific skills in the writeup.

So, how/why would the editors know this? Because we’ve been sending them press releases on the four competitions our folks have taken part in over the past two years.

And that press (came out Wednesday) let to sales this weekend. People looking around saying, “there’s the dog bowl”, “there’s the shitty wood floor”, etc. etc.

So yeah, there’s value in it beyond the simple fact that our baristas can kick ass.

Now, about those three murky competitors… I thought two were guaranteed but you had to wait to see if there were openings before you could enter a third. Has that changed?

RichW wrote: “Now, about those three murky competitors… I thought two were guaranteed but you had to wait to see if there were openings before you could enter a third. Has that changed?”
I’ll never tell.